My first Toulouse post mentioned a reservation Eric had made at La Gourmandine which was a bit challenging for me. Our last night we had a reservation but in between we went to this bistro for a more casual lunch.
The Kanteen Restaurant.
No reservation needed and we walked right up and was seated. While given a menu, we all went with the Nos Plats du Jour.
Those two were in the mood for a salad (trying to ‘lighten’ the food intake I think).
I was in the mood for a burger, Adrienne got the local white fish with Eric’s selection being lamb.
Desserts were a bust – only because they were out of our initial selections. We had these two choices, and the fruit choice literally only had one available.
The last night’s meal was something this area is known for le cassoulet – bean soup. S>T>O>P. Don’t implode. This really is much, much more. It is a meal in itself as you will see shortly. Eric read that Le Colombier made a traditional cassoulet. Dinner reservations booked before leaving the states – done.
Any good French meal needs to start with wine.
Only one photo was needed for this post, since we all ordered the same thing.
Now, you can finally see the masterpiece. So much tasty goodness in one bowl. Believe it or not, the salad was the perfect accompaniment.
So what exactly is Le Cassoulet? It is a rich, slow-cooked casserole containing meat, pork skin and white beans that originated in southern France. It is named after the traditional cooking vessel – a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides. Our particular cassoulet recipe contained Toulouse pork sausage, goose confit and pork skin. There are regional differences, usually involving the meats that are included.
This is taken seriously. Organized competitions featuring cassoulet have occurred every year since 1999.
Didn’t want anyone to think we were letting Eric off the hook during our time in Toulouse. This spread was complements of our shopping at the Victor Hugo market. It was quite the feast: fresh fruit, olives, (some were stuffed), pate’, dried tomatoes, cheeses (3), lardo, dried meat (3) and smoked salmon. Oh and some bread and wine (I had cider for a change of pace).
Yes, definitely good eats in Toulouse!
Darden Travels 